The present invention relates generally to water treatment tanks of the type used to retain resin beads in a water softener system. More particularly, the present invention includes an improved tank head and flange for simultaneously connecting to a control valve, being the securing point for a tank liner, and retaining a water outlet manifold.
Water treatment tanks are known and used to condition or soften water. The known tanks have a tank head that provides an inlet and an outlet for the water through penetration fittings or collars. The known tanks also have liners to protect the tanks from corrosion and prevent leaching of materials from within the tank. In these conventional tanks, water enters the tank through an inlet, flows to the bottom of the tank while passing through a softening or treatment material, and then enters a manifold near the bottom of the tank to be brought back to the top of the tank, where the treated water exits the tank through an outlet conduit connected to a valve. Examples of such tanks are disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,174,466 and 5,345,666, which use one central opening with concentric collars and eliminates the need for a gasket.
In other known tanks, direct compression gaskets are used but become ineffective due to xe2x80x9ccompression setxe2x80x9d in the gaskets over age. Thus, the tanks of the ""466 and ""666 patents were designed to eliminate the gasket. To eliminate the gasket, however, required a complex design with a number of separate parts. O-rings replaced a gasket to create a hermetic seal between the concentric collars. Also, in this design, the outer collar must be under compression and the inner collar receives upward pressure to maintain the tight seal.
Also, in center opening type tanks, such as disclosed in the ""466 and ""666 patents, the opening of the protective liner is R.F. sealed or welded to an inner surface of an inner collar. This arrangement places the edge of the liner inside the inlet aperture for the tank. In this position, it is extremely difficult and time consuming to weld the liner to the inside of the collar because the position of the liner-collar joint requires cumbersome positioning of the welding tools. The liner also may become susceptible to peeling away from the flange from the force of the incoming water flow.
Further, in conventional tanks such as disclosed in the ""466 and ""666 patents, the inner collar or flange is typically made of the same type of plastic as the liner rather than metal in order to ensure sealing compatibility between the liner and the collar. The plastic enables the use of molds that can easily form a flange with a threaded exterior so that a threaded nut or exterior collar can engage the flange to secure the flange on the tank head. The molds to form the plastic collar, however, become very expensive when the opening of the collar approaches four inches. This is especially true when the metal flange must be further formed with threads on the exterior of the flange to engage with a nut.
Thus, a main object of the present invention is to provide an improved center opening tank which is easier to assemble than presently known tanks.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved center opening tank that provides an air and water tight seal between a plastic liner and a metal flange.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved center opening tank with a configuration that prevents breaks in the seal between the liner and the flange while eliminating the need for awkward positioning of welding tools.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide an improved center opening tank with a simple configuration while still using a gasket to maintain the seal between the flange and the tank head.
The above-listed objects are met or exceeded by the present center opening water conditioner tank. To provide a tank that is easier to assemble and maintain with a preferably oval metal flange, the present flange is internally mounted on the tank head and positioned within a through hole on the tank head that is defined by a rim with a tank ring. A fastener assembly engages the flange so that the flange and fastener assembly cooperatively clamp the tank ring. This structure secures the flange to the tank head. In addition, the fastener assembly engages a shoulder portion of the flange. This feature eliminates problematic rotation of the flange by eliminating the nut or collar attached on the exterior of the flange.
More specifically, a treatment tank for a water conditioning apparatus has a tank head with a wall, a rim defining a through hole in the wall and a tank ring fixed to the rim. The tank ring is coaxial with the tank head and extends generally axially. A generally cylindrical flange is also part of the tank and has a nipple portion with a peripheral wall. The flange also has a shoulder extending radially from the nipple portion with a top surface and an outer peripheral wall extending downward from the top surface. A fastener assembly is engageable on the top surface of the shoulder for securing the flange on the tank head through contact between the fastener assembly and the tank ring.
Furthermore, a feature of the present invention also includes a liner diposed in the tank and having an edge secured to the flange between an outer periphery of the shoulder and the tank ring. The liner is secured to the flange even though the liner is not glued, heat sealed or welded to the flange, which eliminates the cost for welding altogether. Furthermore, this configuration disposes the edge away from the flow of water where it cannot be peeled from the flange.
More particularly, a treatment tank for a water conditioning apparatus has a tank head with a wall with an interior surface, a rim defining a through hole in the wall, and a tank ring being coaxial with the tank head and extending generally axially. A generally cylindrical flange defines a nipple portion having a peripheral wall with a lower edge. The flange also has a shoulder and an outer peripheral wall. The shoulder extends radially from the nipple portion and has a top surface. The outer peripheral wall extends generally parallel to the tank ring to matingly register with the tank ring. Additionally, a liner is disposed against the interior surface of the wall of the tank head and has an edge defining an opening. The edge is secured on the flange without adhering or welding the liner to the flange.
Yet another feature of the present invention is a fastener assembly that clamps an annular flat gasket and the liner between the bottom of the tank ring and a ledge radially extending from a base of the shoulder. This configuration provides an air and water tight seal where the outer circumferance of the flange meets the tank head while eliminating the need for a threaded nut that could rotate the flange while it is being tightened.
In more detail, a treatment tank for a water conditioning apparatus also has a shoulder extending radially from the nipple portion and having a top surface, an outer peripheral wall extending generally parallel to the tank ring and a ledge radially extending from the outer peripheral wall. The ledge is configured and disposed to engage the bottom of the tank ring. In addition, a liner is disposed against the interior surface of the wall of the tank head and has a portion disposed along the ledge. A fastener assembly is engageable on the top surface of the shoulder for securing the flange on the tank head through contact between the fastener assembly and the top of the tank ring. Finally, an annular flat gasket is configured and disposed between the tank ring and the liner so that tightening of the fastener assembly clamps the gasket and the liner between the bottom of the tank ring and the ledge for forming a water and air tight seal.
Still another feature of the present invention includes a liner that is secured in two places by pinching the liner between a side wall of the tank ring and an outer peripheral wall of the shoulder and clamping the liner, with a gasket, between the radially extending ledge of the shoulder and the bottom wall of the tank ring. With the liner secured in two separate places, even if the gasket fails due to compression set or other break down due to deformation of the gasket, the liner will remain secured to the flange at the side wall of the tank ring.
In more detail, a treatment tank for a water conditioning apparatus has a tank head with a wall, a rim defining a through hole in the wall, and a tank ring fixed to the rim. The tank ring is coaxial with the tank head and extends generally axially. The tank ring further includes a side wall and a bottom wall. A generally cylindrical flange has a radially extending shoulder with a top surface, a base, an outer peripheral wall extending downward from the top surface to the base, and a ledge radially extending from the base. The ledge is configured to face the bottom wall of the tank ring. A liner disposed against an interior surface of the wall of the tank head has an edge defining an opening to the liner. The liner is configured and disposed on the ledge and on the outer peripheral wall so that the liner is secured between the outer peripheral wall of the flange and the side wall of the tank ring and between the ledge and the bottom wall of the tank ring.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the fastener assembly has a hold down plate that engages a top of the tank ring when tightened by a bolt that threads into the flange and which provides a simple way to assemble the tank head.